Although I've had different types of juicers, I've never had what they call a "juice extractor." Lately, I've really been "jonesing" for some V8, but it is terribly expensive here and the similar, regional products, though good and much less costly, have way too much salt for me to get them very often. Thus, I've done some Googling and have found a few copycat recipes that could be worth trying.
The thing is, I do not have a juice extractor and, although my Osterizer blender IS good, it's certainly no VitaMix, so I'm a bit doubtful of my ability to get a good, smooth, drinkable "V8" juice without jamming up my blender and without leaving behind too much of the veggies to straining.
A local department store currently has a 300-watt Oster juice extractor on sale for $48 and I'm tempted to get one, but know very little about them other than the fact that the few people I know who have had juice extractors either had problems with jamming or just didn't continue to use them for very much time.
What are your experiences with juice extractors? ARE they worthwhile or do they have too many mechanical problems? For that matter, are they maybe just too much of a hassle to use and to clean?
Also, do any of you have a tested, reliable recipe for making a copycat of V8 juice (especially one for which an Osterizer blender would be sufficient)?
Thanks!